The Rush
by Red Dye Number Three
Summary: Axel, in love with Roxas, picked the perfect night to confess to him. Too bad a drunk driver smashed his plans. AU, shounen-ai, AkuRoku, cussing from time to time. Perhaps an implied lemon.
1. The Ruse

**The Ruse**

_Embrace me_

_Surround me_

_As the rush comes_

* * *

"Axel, will you _please_ tell me where we're going?" Roxas sounded impatient, but Axel was able to detect an underlying note of excitement in his tone. "You know that surprises bother the crap out of me."

"Oh, quit your bitching," Axel teased. "Few things in life are expected, so it looks like you've gone through seventeen years of surprises without constant complaining."

"Hey," Roxas pointed an accusing finger at Axel from the passenger seat in the redhead's car. "It's eighteen years today, so you have to stop calling me a teenager or a minor. It ends now!" His voice had slowly escalated to emphasize his point.

Axel made a left turn into a residential community that Roxas had never seen before. He shot Axel a quizzical look, but Axel clarified.

"We're only passing through. I need to pick up... something from Demyx." He had nearly spoiled his plans, but he saved himself at the last moment. He stopped at a stop sign to check for traffic, but continued to drive onward.

"So," Roxas started, his mind working to think of anything that Axel might have planned for his birthday. "Would this something have anything to do with my birthday surprise?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but he somehow came off as coy. _How did that happen?_ Roxas asked himself.

Axel snorted despite himself. "No. Why would you think that? It's not always about you, Rox." Crap. Utter crap. Anything that Axel did was for his Roxy.

Granted, they were best friends, and yes, the friendship was rather forced upon the blond in the beginning, but he eventually gave in and befriended the redhead in return. Of course, this had all happened "Forever ago," as Axel would put it.

As the years passed and the bonds of friendship grew stronger and tighter, Axel had started to feel something grow within him. Naturally, it was in the figurative sense, but Axel felt the presence as if it were a solid mass of happiness and affection. He, to put it simply, had fallen in love with his best friend in the whole world. Axel deeply cared for Roxas to begin with, but his own feelings took him by surprise. He was not unhappy with his heart's choice, but he did not know if the object of his affection would return the feelings. Axel wasn't even completely sure that Roxas was gay. But the redhead had repeatedly pushed those thoughts away, not willing to think of what would happen if Roxas were to find out or reject him.

Needless to say, Axel had waited over a year to finally vocalize his feelings, but for good reason. Axel had passed into the glory of adulthood a few years before. A relationship with a minor was illegal and highly taboo, so he had opted to wait until Roxas' eighteenth. And he was scared shitless. Sure, he looked like his usual, slightly neurotic self (his life was mostly directed by his odd affection for fire), but he was a bumbling, hormonal teenage girl on the inside.

Roxas looked out the passenger window at the setting sun, still trying to fathom what Axel was up to. He hoped that it wasn't a surprise party. It wasn't that he didn't like the company of others, he just didn't enjoy being the center of attention. He preferred to blend in or be on the side lines with those he cared about.

Axel suddenly stopped the car (it was only a sudden action to Roxas, who was lost in thought) at the curb of a small, clean-cut house, which Roxas inferred was Demyx's abode.

Axel unbuckled his seatbelt and made to get out of the car, but instead turned to Roxas and said "Hey, when I come out and whistle to you, will you please close your eyes? What I'll be carrying is part of your surprise."

"But you said that it―"

"No, don't start with me," Axel warned with a sly smile. "Just please close your eyes when I whistle. It'll be worth your while, okay?" He winked as a way of sealing his promise. Roxas rolled his eyes in return and crossed his arms over his chest. Axel muttered a quick "Thanks," and hurried to the front door, not even bothering to knock as he let himself in.

Roxas waited roughly two or three minutes until he heard a loud whistle, which must have been Axel.

The blond covered his eyes with his palms, like a small child, to mock Axel's request, but instantly peeped through his fingers at the sound of the car's trunk closing and the driver's door opening.

The redhead leaned down to eye Roxas, supporting himself with one hand on the roof of his car. "Did you peek?" he questioned, resting his free hand on his left hip. He thought that it gave him a little power...

"No, I didn't peek," Roxas simply stated.

Axel replied with an equally simple "Well good." He climbed into the car and closed the door. While fastening his seat buckle, he looked at Roxas to see him beaming of all things. As far as Axel knew, Roxas was only this happy in special circumstances, and Axel knew practically everything about his Roxas.

"Not to sound like the emotion police, but why are you so happy? Did something good happen today?" Axel chuckled at his own joke, even though it was nowhere near funny. If Axel's jokes were Antarctica, then funny must have been hiding in Greenland.

Roxas chuckled at his horrible joke as well, shaking his head to rid it of the unworthy comedy. "I don't know. All of a sudden, I just realized that my best friend has planned some spectacular surprise for my eighteenth birthday, despite the fact that I didn't do shit for him when he turned eighteen a few years ago. And he's done the best job of keeping that surprise from me, because I have no clue what he's done." He laughed at his own lack of knowledge on the situation.

"Roxas," Axel smiled. "First, you did give me something for my birthday." He tapped the small triangle tattoo on his left cheek, reminding Roxas that he had paid for Axel's first tattoos. "Secondly, you know that you can talk _to _me instead of _about _me, right?"

The slightly disgruntled blond shoved his redhead counterpart to the side. "Just drive, alright?"

* * *

Axel was still a giddy mess inside. He had treated Roxas to a meal at his favorite diner (Roxas was a simple guy. He did not need fancy meals and lavish furnishings to enjoy a dinner with a friend.) and was walking with him back to the car, playing out the entire scenario of how he'd confess. The "gift" in the trunk was only a sham; he had an envelope containing a written confession of what he felt tucked away in the pocket of his coat, which he would let Roxas read when he arrived back at his apartment (Which Roxas inhabited too. Axel was lucky that the walls were not thin, otherwise his dreams would have revealed his feelings at a much earlier date.).

"Ax, it's kind of cold. Can I cuddle up to you?" Roxas had no hidden agenda. The angelic blond was honestly cold, and only in search of a friendly side to cling to for heat. The hormonal teenage girl started to swoon, but Axel kept his face in check, pulling Roxas close. Roxas looked up at the way the small tattoos stretched when Axel smiled, and couldn't help smiling himself.

Maybe... maybe Roxas felt something other than friendship for Axel? No, he couldn't. It was impossible. Roxas was straight... right? Oh no, now he was doubting his sexuality. _Come to think of it, I've never been nearly as happy with a girl as I have been with Axel._ _Maybe... maybe I am gay?_

Roxas lived with Axel after moving out of his parent's home when he was sixteen. There was nothing wrong with his parents. In fact, they were great people that Roxas loved very much. Roxas just wanted, no, _needed_ some change. So he moved in with Axel, who was already nineteen at that point. It was not awkward or strained. It felt just like home.

Roxas' parents had moved to Florida to retire early. They were rather wealthy. Roxas' father was a CEO of a publishing company, his mother working for the internal revenue service. Between the two of them, they made a healthy amount of legal money. They loved Roxas and wanted to use his time for mostly schoolwork, so they sent him money on a weekly basis. This eliminated the need for a job. In fact, they sent Axel money too, because they loved him as a son as well. Secretly, they knew that Axel was in love with Roxas. They were not dense people, so they knew that Roxas would love Axel back one day. It was their way of saying "You're gay and that's okay! You're here, you're queer, and we're used to it! You take it, and so can we!"

So Roxas was brought back to more pressing matters than his parents. He might be gay. For his roommate. For his best friend. For the guy that was a mere centimeter away. _I have to be going insane. How does something like this just pop up in a matter of seconds?!_

Roxas, still doubting himself, decided to test his hypothesis. He snuggled closer to Axel and wrapped his arm around the muscular waist. Axel made a warm noise in the back of his throat. That noise was beautiful. He wanted to hear more of it. _I wonder what he'd sound like while--_

Axel had stopped walking, efficiently derailing Roxas' train of thought. He pulled Roxas to face him and grasped his chilly hands in his own warm ones. "Roxas," he whispered. "I... I need to tell you something."

_Wait, what? _HE _needs to tell me something?! _

* * *

Juliana Morgan was, in many aspects, average. Nothing special, nothing unique, nothing out of the norm. Tonight, though, her lady friends from the office had convinced her to let loose and join them for a night of drinks. Sadly, Juliana was socially awkward. She ended up having one (or six) too many, and left the bar looking (and smelling) rather ruffled.

Muttering about ignorant bartenders that do not know a thing, she climbed into her car and started to drive. Nowhere in particular, just away from the bar.

She turned (rather sloppily) onto a street that was littered with few people. A mop of bright red spikes caught her gaze as she began to swerve. Luckily, she swerved too far to the right and hit a scaffold. _It's good that I can still drive well!_ was the last thing she remembered before a metal support from the scaffold broke through her windshield and sent her into unconsciousness. The car alarm and the airbags never went off.

* * *

Eyes locked, cerulean boring into malachite, Axel was about to confess.

"Roxas, you have to understand, I've been holding this in for a long time." His voice was low, designed to keep others from eavesdropping. Too bad there was nobody else around. "I... I... Roxas, I lo―"

He was interrupted by Roxas pulling him backwards. In a split second, Axel observed a car impact with the scaffolding that they stood near and a metal beam come down to hit his Roxas.

Close enough to reach out and touch Roxas, he felt a million miles away. He blinked, wishing that this sight would disappear. It remained. His Roxas, his beautiful Roxas, was bleeding on the sidewalk.

A man walking his dog on the opposite side of the street had witnessed the entire crash scene unfold, and had a cell phone in hand calling an ambulance.

Axel dropped to his knees, fingers brushing at the growing puddle of blood near Roxas' scalp.

"No."

It was quiet at first, barely enough for the speaker to hear themselves. But the volume slowly grew, until Axel was heavily sobbing, tears mixing and forcing themselves upon his repeated cries of "No."

* * *

_There's a coldness in the air_

_But I don't care_

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts II. If I did, I'd make Rai stop saying "y'know." Forever.

And I do not own Motorcycle or _As The Rush Comes_ either.

Well. This is my first posted fanfiction. I have written and drafted others, but they sucked. Seriously, I do not know what I was thinking. It's like looking at pictures of yourself from ten years ago and thinking about how big of an idiot you looked. Or how dumb you looked posing for the camera like that.

I got the idea at about five in the morning one day while I was toasting and English muffin and looking for the honey. I though _I should write a fic about Roxas in a coma and Axel going nuts while Rox is out! _I even had the scene where Axel is confessing his love to an unconscious Roxas in the hospital, and Axel starts shaking him and screaming at him to wake up. Then he's sobbing on the blond, weakly pleading to not leave him alone. It was pretty heart wrenching to imagine something so real, but I knew that I had to write that.

I told my (unofficial) beta about my idea, and she said that she wanted to write something like that too (I unofficially beta for her in return). She didn't want to steal my idea, though, so I gave her formal permission to write a coma-fic. Be sure to check out TheKabbageKat so you can read her coma-fic too.

Anyway, you've already done the reading part of the phrase, so I'd appreciate it if you would review as well. I mean, you don't have to, since there's no way for me to punish you if you don't, but it'd make me happier knowing that people have things to say about my writing.

Well, hope you enjoyed the first chapter.


	2. The Rise

**The Rise**

_Embrace me_

_Surround me_

_As the rush comes_

* * *

For the entire ambulance ride, Axel did not know what happened. An EMT had turned him to face the doors and gave him a pair of forceps to hold onto. The sound of the engine, the two EMTs conversing about Roxas, it was all blurred together in Axel's mind.

The second EMT had tapped Axel on the shoulder and looked into his eyes. "Sir, do you know this boy's name and age?" Her voice was even and slow. It might have appeared like she was talking to a toddler, but she didn't know if Axel would understand her.

Axel coughed to clear the lump in his throat from sobbing. "Yeah," He had no idea that his voice was that hoarse. "Roxas Warner; it's his eighteenth birthday."

The EMT had nodded politely. "Can you please tell me your name? It is only for medical reasons."

"Uh, yeah. I'm Axel Williams. T-twenty one." He was starting to cry again, because he had snuck a peek at Roxas' blood-matted hair. He couldn't believe that his Roxas, the Roxas that not ten minutes ago was wrapping his arm around his waist and making him moan. The Roxas that maybe loved him back. The Roxas that looked in his eyes so surely...

The EMT's voice broke him from his thoughts. "Is there any medical history that we should know of? About Roxas, that is."

"He's allergic to citrus and mold. A-and I think that he had appendicitis when he was fifteen."

"Do you have any relation with him?" It was a little intrusive, but the EMT was only doing her job.

"Roxas is my bo― best friend. He's my _best _friend," he replied hastily. He had nearly slipped up, but he hardly cared. There had been so many days of staring, so many long nights of wanting, so Axel had stopped referring to Roxas as his best friend and thought of him as a boyfriend. It failed to strike him as premature.

The driver of the ambulance had said something to the first EMT, which made him turn to the other and say "We'll be arriving at the ER soon. Mr. Williams, you will be receiving care as well." He pointed to a small gash on Axel's jaw, which looked like it was the product of a stray shard of flying glass. Axel didn't even notice it then.

Wrenched from his near-hysterics, Axel handed the forceps back to the second EMT. "Thank you for... keeping me sane, we'll call it." He gave her a pitiful smile, which painfully stretched the broken skin on his jaw.

The ambulance stopped. Axel watched the EMTs pull the stretcher out of the back and wheel it into the ER. A stray medical intern looked to Axel and said "Sir, are you hurt? Do you need medical attention?"

Axel slowly got up and said "Yeah, I got cut here," he pointed to his jaw "And I think that I got some cuts on my neck." His finger motioned a small circle to a spot on his neck where he was starting to feel pain.

The intern was strangely similar to Roxas. Well, his hair was. Axel decided that this guy was okay if he had enough to style his hair like Roxas'. He led Axel into the ER, then to a quieter section with a waiting hospital bed.

"My friend, the blond that just came in, I'm the only person with him right now. His parents are in Florida."

"I will be sure to take care of it. Could you please sit up so I can take your vitals, sir?"

"Axel," he supplied as he sat up.

"Pardon?" The intern looked at him with mild confusion.

"My name is Axel. Don't call me 'sir,'" he answered.

"Ah. Okay, I won't call you 'sir' again." The intern pulled a stethoscope from his neck and put the buds in his ears. "Can you please unzip your coat? It'll make this easier."

"Sure." He did as he was asked and completely shed the layer, tossing it on the bed's pillow.

"Thank you." He stepped forward and placed the stethoscope on Axel's breast bone. The metal was a little cold, but warmed up quickly. "Please breathe in."

Axel took a deep breath. "And release it, please." He exhaled, as told.

"Dude, you can stop being so polite. Just tell me to breathe in, breathe out, whatever."

The intern smiled as Axel's cheek. "Eh, it's protocol. I have to be courteous to everybody and respect what people say. I'm Cloud, by the way."

"Well, Cloud, it's nice to meet you." He held out a hand to shake Cloud's gloved one, but discovered a few cuts and Roxas' dried blood on his palm. He grimaced at the slightly gory sight and lowered his hand.

Cloud frowned at his hand, then peeked at the other, which was equally bloody and sporting a smaller injury. "I'll take your blood pressure and then patch you up. The gash on your jaw looks like it'll need stitches, but I'll have to take a closer look first. Then I'll give you a chart to fill out."

"I'll need to fill out my friend's too, right?" Axel would need to phone Roxas' parent's when he had a chance...

"We'll get there when you don't have horror movie hands. Now hold your left arm out." Axel extended his arm and watched Dr. Cloud (yuck) roll up his shirt sleeve. He must have done that so Axel wouldn't hurt his hand...

"So should I call you Dr. Cloud or what?" Cloud visible winced while he was fastening the Velcro on the cuff of the sphygmomanometer.

"Do _not _call me that. You make it sound like I'm a Pediatrician. Just call me Cloud or Strife or Dr. Strife. Just not Dr. Cloud. Shit, you can call me Jenny for all I care. Anything but Dr. Cloud." Axel chuckled at his pleading. Jenny served as an excellent distraction from the pain and his worry about Roxas.

"Fine, fine. Jenny it is," Axel teased.

Cloud finished with the sphygmomanometer and scribbled Axel's blood pressure on a chart that rested on an unused part of the bed. "Alright, let me look at your jaw."Axel tipped his chin upward and let Cloud gently prod at the surrounding area. He made a disappointed sound with his tongue and proceeded to Axel's neck. Axel hissed in pain when he poked the wrong spot.

"Sorry," Cloud muttered as he continued to Axel's hands. He motioned for Axel to hold them out and spread his fingers, then turn his palms to the ceiling. The air moving over the open cuts made him cringe. It didn't hurt, no. _It feels really weird... _Cloud prodded at his hands as well, checking for broken bones.

"Okay," Cloud started. "The ones on your neck and hands aren't that bad. Just some topical medicine to kill the germs and bandaging to seal them off. But the one on your jaw has some glass shards in it. And it'll need a few stitches. Four or five at the most, however. All in all, you got off easy. I'm going to grab some supplies and check on your friend. I'll have a nurse bring you some charts for yourself and your friend. What's his name, just so I can check on him later?"

"Roxas Warner. His head was bleeding..." Axel trailed off, not wanting to go any further.

"Okay, and keep your mind off Roxas. Think about the cool scars you'll have. Chicks do dig scars, you know," Cloud shot back as he walked towards a set of double doors, no doubt leading to a hallway and a supply closet.

Axel, taking Cloud's advice, thought about what he had said. But not the scars; the girls. Axel had never liked girls that much. He was the child who was especially cruel to girls his age, always playing pranks and terrorizing the pompous ones. It was still true today when Axel thought _Girls are gross._

He had realized that he was gay before he met Roxas. He had come across his mother's collection of pornography, which was only males. Of course, his father had a personal collection as well, but Axel had never found that one, not that he minded. The colorful spreads and centerfolds of leather-clad (or completely bare) men had Axel hooked from the start. Near the back of the magazine, there was an article with a large title that read 'Confronting Your Sexuality: Which Team Do You Bat For?'

The article had told Axel everything that he needed to know, helping him realize that he was indeed not straight. It didn't bother him at all, and it seemed that his mother would not mind either. Axel didn't think that he'd be one of those flamboyant guys, though. He never really liked rainbows that much.

Axel never told his mother or father that he was gay, but he could tell that they would accept him no matter what. They didn't go to church, and they had a few homosexual friends. Once, when Axel had used the word "faggot," his father had seriously chastised him.

"Young man, that is a horrible word to use! I never ever _ever _want to hear you using that word ever again! And if I do, I will yell louder than this!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just want to know what it means! I never meant to get in trouble!"

"It is a highly offensive word for a homosexual man. You never want to call anybody that word, because it can be very hurtful to some people. It is similar to the N-word or the C-word." At the time, Axel had no idea what the C-word was, but he knew better than to ask. He found out the next day in school, and was quite disgusted.

Nobody but Demyx knew that Axel was gay. He was Axel's best friend before Roxas came along, and if he hadn't turned out straight, Demyx might have wound up in love with Axel. The redhead had confessed during a game of truth or dare, instigated on Demyx's part. Axel had dared Demyx to put his hair in a mullet (This was a time before Demyx had discovered the mullet-mohawk offspring) for a day, so Demyx fired back by making Axel tell him his darkest secret. He had darker, like the reason his eyebrows were so short or why he was not allowed to enter the local I.H.O.P. ever again, but he thought that it was a good idea to tell Demyx. He reasoned that he should tell one person before any more time went by.

Demyx was surprisingly friendly about it. He said "Cool! Now I have an excuse to go shopping!" Axel should have taken offense to that, but he was too relieved to get angry.

Around fifteen minutes had passed until Cloud came back with charts and a nurse toting a medical tray. Axel liked the little ice cream cones and blue popsicles on her scrubs. He thought that the large ribbon in her hair was overkill, though. She set the tray on a rolling stand and wheeled it closer to the bed.

"Okay. I got a little news on Roxas," he jabbered as he began to insert an IV needle into the inside of Axel's wrist. "There are no severe injuries. He will have to go into surgery to fix some internal bleeding and set a few bones in his legs. But he should have a full recovery. Now, do you want me to start with your jaw, neck, or hands?" Cloud watched the redhead's face light up with each good word on Roxas. He gestured for the nurse to pull up a chair, which she pulled from beside the bed.

Without waiting for an answer, he went for the hands. Axel didn't watch what happened, he didn't want to focus on the pain. He noticed when a second pair of hands joined in cleaning and repairing. He saw the nurse start to clean Roxas' dried blood from his fingers and smile at him.

"I'm Aerith," she simply stated. "It's nice to make your acquaintance." She smiled bigger, which made the apples of her cheeks turn pink. _She's another person to befriend at this hospital_, Axel noted.

Together, Aerith and Cloud took about five minutes per hand (with cleaning and bandaging), and then proceeded to clean his neck. Axel had to tip his head back again and scrunch the skin on the back of his neck. Cloud muttered something about how Axel was lucky that the glass didn't cut his Carotid. Axel didn't reply, but started to wonder how he even got cut on his neck and face. He wasn't looking at anything but Roxas after he fell. Axel stopped thinking about that, since he wasn't ready to think about it yet.

"Axel," Cloud started. "Would you like to tell us what happened? You don't have to, though. I could tell that you're close to Roxas."

"I'd rather talk about something else. This crash happened at the most inopportune time. I was about to tell Roxas that I love him when it happened. Now I won't get to for a few days. You know, he's been my best friend ever since I was eighteen and he was fifteen. And I chose to tell him that I love him today because it's his eighteenth birthday. It was going to be his special surprise" Axel was starting to feel the sting of tears in his eyes, but ignored it. Let's face it, he didn't really have a way to wipe the tears away.

Aerith cut in "What do you love about him?" She tilted her head to the side in honest interest.

"Well, there's his smile. He's kind of an introverted kid, and he doesn't like to show much emotion, but when he truly smiles, it's adorable. And his voice. It's just perfect for who he is. When we're out of here, I should get him to sing for me. He'd be wonderful... He's pretty stubborn, too. I have issues convincing him to do things with me, but he usually gives in because I threaten him with something dumb, like screwing with his stereo to play only Madonna."

Cloud's head shot up, suddenly terrified. "You can do that?! Oh no, now I need to lock up my stereo system..."

Axel gave him a confused look, but continued. "He always manages to smell nice. Sometimes like apples, other times he smells like cinnamon. He smells like spearmint on Sundays. I don't even know why. He doesn't chew gum or anything, but every Sunday he manages to smell like spearmint...

"Jenny, should I stop talking so you can fix the one on my jaw?" Axel had just noticed that Aerith and Cloud both seemed to be waiting on him to stop talking.

"No, you can go on it if makes you comfortable." Aerith was honestly too nice. But Axel thought it best that he got the glass out of his face.

"Nah, this thing is starting to sting a bit," he said, gesturing with a white covered hand.

"Alright, but we get to hear more about Roxas later. He sounds like he's perfect for you."

Though Cloud had made the comment before about chicks and scars, he seemed oddly accepting that Axel was openly gay around him. _Maybe he's just one of those ultra PC guys... Of course he could have just assumed that I was straight earlier. Most of the city's population is straight, so he probably was playing the odds. _

Cloud accidentally tweaked a nerve while removing a minuscule chunk of glass from the wound, making Axel squawk in surprise and pain. "Sorry, man. There wasn't another way to get it out. Would you like a shot of morphine to numb it a little?"

Axel weighed the options for a little while (morphine versus pain), and came to the conclusion that the morphine would make him loopier than he'd wish to be. "I'm fine like this. I'm a big boy now, so I can handle it."

Aerith giggled at Axel's reply, making him feel better. _I don't know why I haven't met these people before. They're nicer than anybody, and they honestly care. I knew that medical shows were totally wrong about doctors being cold bastards..._

* * *

Once Axel was all patched up, Cloud, Aerith, and himself set to work on the medical charts. Axel had to call his parents and Roxas' parents a few times to get answers to questions that he was unsure of, but he was glad that he had snatched Roxas' wallet at the last minute for his weight and height.

When he had called his parents, they didn't believe him at first. They thought that he was just joking. That is, until a speaker system issued a hospital-wide announcement of a "Code Blue" on the third floor. Then his parents believed him.

Roxas' parents were a little easier to convince, but they wouldn't arrive in town for another twelve or so hours, since they had to book a last minute flight and drive to the town from the airport. But it would be okay, since Axel was here with Roxas. Everything would be okay.

* * *

Axel's parents understood. Roxas' parents could easily comprehend it. Axel was the only one who was completely confused. It was five in the morning, two days later. Roxas was still missing from the group.

"What are you saying?" Axel's voice began to rise, slowly creeping into a hysterical area.

Some random doctor that had been on Roxas' case was standing in front of the five, trying to explain to Axel what had happened to Roxas.

"When your friend fell on the pavement, his brain tried to protect itself from damage, so it went into sort of a standby mode. We tried to get him to come around again, but he just hasn't woken up yet."

"So... you're trying to sugar-coat it and tell me that my best friend is in a coma?" Axel seethed. He was not happy. Roxas was supposed to be recovering from surgery in post-op. He was supposed to have a turban of bandages and a croaky voice. He was supposed to be conscious, dammit!

"Axel, please," his mother pleaded. She laid a soft palm on his upper arm, trying to calm her son.

"Eh, essentially, that is correct. Do any of you have any questions?" Axel could see how uncomfortable the doctor was.

"How is the woman who crashed her car?" Roxas' father quietly asked. He was a man of few words, very much like his son, but had a friendly demeanor in spite of his demanding career in the past.

"Juliana Morgan? She received extensive brain damage from a pipe smashing her skull in. It is very surprising that she will live, but she will be mentally handicapped for the rest of her life. Her motor skills were severely impaired, and her speech has been hindered as well, but she will still be able to function."

Axe was secretly happy with what that woman got. "I need to go see Roxas."

"Sir, please, visiting hours are over. You can visit him tomorrow."

"Fine." Axel walked away, fuming. His and Roxas' parents hurried after him, muttering hushed goodbyes and farewells. Axel's parents drove him to his apartment, since his car was still in a parking garage downtown. He would call Demyx to take him to pick it up later.

Axel hugged his father and kissed his mother on the cheek, saying "I'm sorry that I scared you. I love you both so much." His parents smiled and mimicked the actions and words. They parted ways, walking towards their separate destinations (car and apartment door) under the lightening sky.

* * *

Five months, thirteen days, seven hours, and forty-two minutes. Roxas had been under the peaceful veil of unconsciousness for five months, thirteen days, seven hours, and forty-two minutes. His heart monitor started to become slightly irregular at about five in the morning one day. There were a few nurses making random rounds, checking on the patients that needed to be watched, but none noticed Roxas. His slender fingers soon began to twitch, and his eyelids slowly fluttered open.

Too bad he started to choke on the tube in his throat.

* * *

_There's a coldness in the air_

_Yeah but I don't care_

* * *

Disclaimer: I doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, KHII, or anything from the Final Fantasy series. They'd be playable on the Wii if I did. I also do not own Motorcycle or _As The Rush Comes_. All I own is a beat up 1989 powder blue Nissan Stanza. And I can't even drive it yet...

So there you have it. It took over two days for me to write all this. I kind of got writer's block in the middle, but I have fully recovered.

I had a lot of fun writing the ER scene with Cloud and Aerith. TheKabbageKat had an idea about Cloud being a nurse, complete with slutty nurse skirt. I promptly said no and changed him to an intern. Also, the word "sphygmomanometer" is that instrument used to measure blood pressure. With the little hand pump and the cuff that goes around your arm.

Anyway, enjoy the writing and review if it fits your fancy.

**Additional Notes as of 7:29P Pacific on 17/7: **Okay, I am disappointed. I've gotten over 100 views and even a few alerts and favorites, but only two reviews. From the same person. Seriously, it's annoying. I know that it's only my first fic and that I'm not supposed to expect any better, but damn! You'd think that somebody would have something to say.  
I'm not commanding you to review, but I really want to have something to look forward to and use to help mold the last chapter. Like criticism or an honest opinion or praise for at least trying.


	3. The Rest

**The Rest**

_Embrace me_

_Surround me_

_As the rush comes_

* * *

At two weeks, six days, fourteen hours, and thirty seven minutes, Axel had opted to help a nurse give Roxas a sponge bath. This was a male nurse, named Kyle or something that Axel didn't bother to remember, but he knew that he didn't want another guy touching his Roxas. Namely Roxas' junk.

"Please, sir, it's part of my job to do this." The nurse's eye was starting to twitch. Axel thought that it was rather funny.

"Yeah, well, you don't exactly look like you enjoy sponging down dudes. I, on the other hand, have no problem with washing my friend." Axel crossed his arms and stared him down. Kyle, though he appeared weak, stood his ground.

"Sir, look. If you would just let me do my job―" Kyle was getting aggravated, but Cloud happened to walk past Roxas' room at the right moment.

"Kyle, Axel, what's wrong?" he questioned, sounding quite exasperated. For the past two weeks, Axel had been curt to every staff member that tried to do anything to Roxas. Cloud had always come to his rescue. Nurses, Candy Stripers, random doctors, volunteers, practically anybody. The only people Axel trusted were Cloud, Aerith, and Roxas' neurologist.

Dr. Forrest was a woman, which was a highly admirable thing considering her career. She was also soft spoken, but outgoing when she needed to be. Her eyes and hair color were also remarkably similar to Roxas, which was always a plus in Axel's eyes. Then again, Cloud looked similar to Roxas as well. Was there a secret society of blue-eyed, light blond people following him around just to screw with his head?

Kyle glared at Axel and replied to Cloud. "This guy won't let me wash the patient by myself."

Axel glared back. "Hey, I just don't think that he wants to that much. I'm only helping him and my friend."

Cloud sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously tired of the redundancy of this situation. "Kyle, just let him wash his boyfriend. I'm sure that he'd want Axel to if he was awake."

Kyle's eye simply twitched as he walked away, muttering something about an "overbearing bastard."

* * *

At three months, eleven days, nineteen hours, and twenty-five minutes, Axel was asleep in a chair besides Roxas' bed. Demyx had come on his own accord to visit Roxas. He peeked into the small room, noting the smell of disinfectant and the hideous wallpaper.

Axel gave a light snore, which startled Demyx. He tiptoed forward to look at Roxas. The blond had a heavy dusting of stubble on his chin and his hair was slightly greasy, deflating the soft spikes. The constant beeps of the heart monitor made him seem even more tragic than he already was.

Demyx took a blanket from a nightstand beside the bed and draped it over Axel's scrunched form. He snuggled deeper into it, making the dirty blond smile sadly.

Demyx had seen Axel slowly transform from a cocky sex god into a quiet, broken soul. The two blonds had never spent much time in each other's company, but they were friends nonetheless. Maybe most important of all, he could tell that Roxas felt something deep for Axel.

When all three of them would spend time together, Demyx would observe the way Axel would look at Roxas, and the small things that Roxas would do. Strangely, Demyx had an unbelievable gaydar. Usually being straight doesn't give you the knack to spot those who aren't, but the dirty blond had inherited it regardless. He thought of it as a gift that he should use to help mankind.

What a load of crap. He tested it on everybody he knew, and the only two people who actually turned out to be gay were Axel and, surprise surprise, Roxas. Of course, he never told Axel or Roxas, thinking that he didn't know it himself. Demyx did have a rather... bubbly nature, you could say, but he was quite sagely.

So now Demyx was added to the crowd of people just waiting for Roxas to realize his orientation and Axel to snap. All five of them (the group consisted of Demyx, Axel's parents, and Roxas' parents) hoped it would be soon, since they didn't like keeping up with the silly façade.

Tired of the depressing environment, Demyx lightly ruffled Axel's hair and kissed Roxas on the forehead, silently wishing him awake. With that, he crept away from the sounds of Axel's snores and the heart monitor.

* * *

At five months, twelve days, nine hours, and fifteen minutes, Axel had finally broken down.

He screamed. He sobbed. He shook Roxas' unconscious shoulders. If Cloud and Dr. Forrest hadn't restrained him in time, he might have slapped Roxas across the face.

"Axel, please, just calm down. If you don't get a hold of yourself, security will remove you. Axel, we don't want to see you leave." Dr. Forrest's voice was slow and calming, which greatly soothed Axel. His breathing started to even out and the tears began to ebb. She, Cloud, and Axel were all three sitting on the floor, leaning on Roxas' bed.

Axel swallowed roughly and rubbed at his reddened eyes. "T-thank you, Dr. For-rest," he stuttered thickly. Dr. Forrest grabbed his hand and placed it between her smaller ones.

"Don't worry about it, Axel. And please, call me Naminé. It's pointless to be formal any longer." She started to smooth his hair onto his scalp, only to watch it spring up again. She paid no mind, however, and repeated the action. Cloud followed her lead and grabbed Axel's other hand, stroking the top of it.

Axel realized how idiotic and menstrual he must have looked, screaming and shaking a motionless form. He hung his head, only having Naminé tip his head back upright. "That's bad for your neck," she warned.

They sat like that for a few minutes, waiting until a nurse came to shoo Axel away. He stumbled from the room, a red and puffy mess. Cloud, not having said much during their encounter, called to Axel as he walked away.

"Axel! Maybe you should stay home tomorrow. You know, take a break for a day, go see a few friends?" Axel noticed that the skin on his forehead was furrowed together and there was a small crease between his eyebrows. He looked to Naminé, who's eyes seemed to frown in sadness. These people, these two doctors, they honestly cared. Nobody who bothered to have those facial expressions was faking it.

Axel scratched at his scalp and dragged a hand over his face, as if it would make the redness vanish. "Okay, I'll take a break. I'll see you on Friday, okay?" They nodded, expressions softening.

The redhead walked away slowly, already regretting saying that he'd take a day off.

* * *

At five months, thirteen days, seven hours, and forty-three minutes, while Roxas was choking, Axel was laying on the floor of Roxas' bedroom. Crying, to be exact. Lying next to him was a picture in a frame of Roxas and himself, among two strangers. It was one of those candid photos from an amusement park roller coaster that you buy in the overpriced gift shop that is conveniently placed at the exit of the ride. It was a vacation that they went on to celebrate Axel's high school graduation. The roller coaster was called "The Apollo."

The thing about the picture that stole Axel's heart was the fact that Roxas got so scared that he had grasped Axel's hand in his own. The fleeting look of fear was forever painted on his features as well, and it could have looked like holding Axel's hand was what scared him, but the redhead didn't care.

He was tired of being alone in that apartment, night after night for nearly six months. He was tired of having nobody to talk to, to listen to either. He was tired of not having the boy he loved near him. He wanted to hold Roxas close. He wanted to kiss those plump lips. He wanted to hear Roxas moaning his name, dammit! This was not what he wanted!

He was also tired of crying and feeling sorry for himself. _You know, _a voice in the back of his mind chided. _You could just end it all with suicide. Take a few pills, slit your wrists, and it could be all gone. The pain, the loneliness, the empty feeling in your chest. Those could all disappear with two quick slices, Axel._

_But, _his conscience replied, _I still do have things to live for. My parents, Roxas' parents, Demyx, and... Roxas. Suicide just isn't convenient right now._

_Right now, you said. If not now, when?_

_When? _his conscience repeated. _When those things aren't around anymore. _

_Don't you mean when Roxas isn't around anymore? Your parents, Roxas' parents, and Demyx; they are __practically infinitesimal when compared to Roxas. The boy means everything to you!_

_That's not true! _His conscience was getting angry. It didn't want that pessimistic voice to start talking in the first place, so now it meant business. _You don't know how much I love all of them! They've always been with me, so they hold a place in my heart that Roxas will never be able to fill! But they can't compare to him either. Face it, you are just wrong._

His conscience won that round, but he knew that the dark, negative voice would be back with a vengeance unless something changed.

Axel got up, wiping away the tears and placing the picture frame back on Roxas' dresser where it belonged. He would go see Demyx today.

* * *

At five months, thirteen days, seven hours, and forty-three minutes, Roxas' heart rate had spiked, blood pressure skyrocketed, and breathing was brought to a sickening halt as he struggled and choked. Luckily, the nearest nurses' station was prepared and received an automatic alert of these changes. Doctors and nurses rushed to his side from their various locations to fix his current ailment.

Within fifteen seconds, he was breathing on his own again. Clutching his chest, shoulders heaving, and eyes wide, he looked to his personal medical staff and said "Wha... what happened?"

At that moment, Naminé rushed into the room, having received a page at Roxas' waking, and looked into his eyes.

"Oh goodness, you're awake? I'll need to phone Axel and tell him the good news!" She practically glowed at Roxas, her happiness undeniable.

"Axel? Good news? Is anybody going to tell me what's going on?" Roxas was getting a little uneasy, having just found himself in the hospital with no explanation of how he got there. And the weather outside the window was weird as well; the last time he remembered, it was the middle of February, but it appeared to be June or July. What was going on?!

Naminé, having most of the authority on Roxas' case, stepped forward to his bedside. Before addressing Roxas, though, she turned to a nurse with a large bow in her hair. "Would you please go call Axel? He deserves to know more than anybody." The nurse nodded and left the room, along with the slew of doctors and nurses that were not needed any longer. The only ones left were Roxas, Naminé, and Cloud, who slipped in when nobody was looking. He was supposed to be in the ER doing sutures, but who would miss him?

"Roxas, my name is Dr. Naminé Forrest, and this is my colleague, Dr. Cloud Strife. You have been in our care since you arrived. Do you have any idea what happened to yourself?" Roxas liked how kind her voice was, but was a little unnerved at her eyes and hair, which were startlingly similar to his own. The same went for Dr. Strife, who looked like an older version of Roxas. Or an older fraternal twin, at least.

"Uh, the last thing I remember was being with Axel... and being crushed by that scaffold. Hey, is that why I'm in here? Because I got hurt? Is Axel here? Is he alright?" He tried to sit up, but found that his muscles were rather stiff, like he hadn't moved in months.

"To answer your questions, yes, you are here because you were injured in the accident. Axel is not here at the moment, but he is perfectly healthy. He was slightly injured in the accident, but has made a full recovery." Naminé really was a wonder. Few people could figure out how she stayed so calm and kind. "But Roxas, do you know what the date is?" Her eyes were strangely devious, like she was enjoying tormenting him.

"Isn't it February?" The blond in the bed was getting a little irked, because he wanted his damn answers and he wanted them now!

"Not quite." Cloud stepped in, taking the explanation over. "Roxas, it's the third week of July. You've been in a coma for over five months." At these words, Roxas' eyes widened in shock, and his hand went to his face, feeling the accumulation of five months worth of five o'clock shadow.

"Do you know why I went into a coma in the first place?" He sounded rather exasperated.

Naminé, being more educated of the issue, answered. "We believe it was when your head hit the pavement at the scene of the accident. Your brain was trying to protect itself from further injury, so it shut down and had issues starting up again. But you obviously made a full recovery, so that doesn't matter anymore!" She was positively beaming, happy that she had another successful case.

Aerith popped her head into the room and said "I called Axel myself, and he's on his way."

* * *

Ring. Riiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

"Shut up, you damn phone." Axel was trying to look fairly decent and not like a completely depressed idiot who was borderline suicidal. The phone wasn't helping with this.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

"I said shut up!"

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

"Damn cell." He picked it up without looking at the number. Oh well.

"Hello?" Axel seethed into the phone. Damn it and whoever was on the other end for calling him. Especially this early.

"Good morning, Axel. This is Aerith at Edward Gartner Memorial Hospital, and I have some fantastic news." She sounded as bright and cheery as ever, even in the early morning.

"Oh my God. Is it Roxas? Is he awake?!" Axel was fully awake now. Forget not looking completely depressed and borderline suicidal! He had to get to the hospital!

"Come down as soon as you can. Visiting hours don't matter in a case like this. Would you like me to contact his parents, or would you like to?"

"Can you do it? I don't trust myself to talk and drive at the same time."

"Of course. I'll see you soon, and so will Roxas."

Axel wasn't so mad at the phone anymore.

* * *

Axel was sprinting from the parking lot to the glass doors at the entrance. Aerith was there waiting for him, probably to pardon him from the visiting hours restriction.

"Come along. To the elevator," she smiled. Axel vigorously shook his head, pointing to the stairs.

"I can't wait. The elevator is... too slow," he panted, slightly winded from running inside.

Aerith chuckled at his eagerness and said, "Alright. Do what you need to. He's in the same room. I'll see you up there soon, okay?"

Axel nodded this time, and waved as he ran to the stairs. Taking them three at a time, he reached Roxas' floor in no time. If he was impressed with himself for the feat on the stairs, then him practically flying down the hallway must have been magical.

He stopped himself by grabbing hold of the metal door frame, doubling over and wheezing for breath. Damn his eagerness and overexertion. Roxas, who was occupied with talking to Naminé and Cloud, turned his head and softly exclaimed "Oh my God."

Dragging his head up, he peered at his blond. "You have... no idea how good... it is to hear your voice... again." He was still panting, but that would go away soon. What mattered now was hugging Roxas.

He left the doorway and sat on the bed. Screw being conventional and taking a chair, this was his Roxie. Cloud and Naminé quietly left, not wanting to kill the moment.

"You have no idea how nice it is to see a familiar face. They told me I was in a coma, but I'm still so confused." Roxas held his arm, signaling for Axel to come closer. He obliged, simultaneously hugging and crushing the blond. Roxas set his arms on the back of Axel's neck, to both keep them from being smooshed and to hug Axel back.

"Trust me, I had it worse. Five months without my Roxas was hell," Axel mumbled into Roxas' neck. The flesh was warm and supple, like he imagined so many times. He kissed it lightly, savoring the flavor that clung to his lips. Again, exactly how he imagined.

They remained that way for what felt like hours. It was around fifteen minutes in actuality. Roxas' arms slowly unwound themselves from behind Axel's neck. He brought his face to eye level and cupped his cheek.

"Did you really miss me that much?" It wasn't much more than a scratchy whisper, but it still sounded to glorious to Axel.

Click.

Axel turned around wildly, only to find Aerith and Cloud. With a camera. Oh dear.

Furious, Axel made to jump at Cloud and his God forsaken camera, but Cloud stopped him. "NO! Dude, I let you call me Jenny for months. The least you can let me do is get a picture of you and your boyfriend!"

Aerith giggled at Axel's angered expression, Cloud smirking alongside her. They waved and left for the nurse's station, probably to save the photo to a computer.

"What was that about?" Roxas quirked an eyebrow.

"They're just nuts. Well, I haven't found nicer people in my entire life, but they're still a little crazy."

* * *

A few days later, after countless MRIs and CT Scans and examinations and questions on how Mr. Roxas was feeling, he was set free. And fuck yes did it feel good to stand up and walk around in pants! Real, no breeze in the back, "I'm a big boy now" pants!

Roxas' parents didn't fly in from Florida to visit, but they did send extra money and their love (One via a bank account, the other via telephone). Of course, he didn't mind. Axel's parents did come to see him, which was almost as good as his own. They fawned over him and hugged him and did every parental thing in the proverbial book.

When Axel and Roxas were finally alone at home, Roxas prompted Axel for an answer to his question.

"Can you tell me what Dr. Strife meant? When he called me your boyfriend?" He was sitting on the couch, his shoes suddenly very interesting. Axel had been passing him, going to fetch a drink, but decided to forgo it for Roxas.

"Well, it's sort of a long story. But I guess I don't have a choice, right?"

He plopped down next to Roxas and held the blond's hand between his own hands.

"It all kind of started a few years ago. It was after we had become friends, y'know? I was happy as a Goddamn clam. Then, one day, I felt something different. Something... more." He couldn't look at Roxas, so he looked at Roxas' hand.

"I was already eighteen by the time I knew, so I couldn't tell you. It'd be illegal. And... I couldn't bring myself to. I was scared that you would take it the wrong way and reject me. So I kept it to myself. And it nearly killed me. Small touches, ordinary words, regular looks, they all mean different things when love is involved. On your birthday, it meant the world to me that you put your arm around me.

"Speaking of your birthday, that was the day I had chosen to tell you how I felt. I figured that it was the perfect surprise. The gift in the trunk was totally fake. There was never anything in there. It was only to confuse you, actually. All along, I had an letter in my coat telling how I love you. When I found out you were in a coma, I burned it. I couldn't bear to look at it. I felt it was my fault that you got hurt. It... tore me up, Roxas. I couldn't stand to look at that envelope saying how much I loved you when there was no way to tell if you would ever get to know." He felt the blond wipe a tear from his cheek with his thumb as he cupped his angular face.

He sniffed, trying to gain some sort of composure, and went on. "So, after you were knocked unconscious, we went to the emergency room. Cloud, er, Dr. Strife, he was the one to fix up a few cuts that I had. To distract me from the pain, he got me to talk about you. I ended up telling him about how I love you and how I was going to tell you everything and... the boyfriend thing just stuck. I don't know why. I kind of liked the fact that he would pair us like that.

"So, it's out there now. I... love you. Roxas Colton Warner, I love you." Axel swallowed his pride and looked into Roxas' eyes. His expression unreadable, he processed the information he was just given.

"I..." Out of all of the times for words to fail Roxas, this had to be the one that mattered. "I really don't know what to say."

Axel looked slightly crestfallen at Roxas' lack of reaction. "It's fine. You don't need to say anything." He tried to take his hands off the blond's, but found him holding one fast.

"Just because I don't know what to say means I'm rejecting you." His voice was small, like he was just as scared as Axel. "I don't know if I love you, but I know that there's something there. It's not infatuation. And it can't be friendship.

"I won't be able to truthfully say that I love you for a long time, but I can say that I am attracted to you. I like you. The sad part is, I fully realized it before we got hurt. Literally seconds before." A dark smile pulled at his lips. But it grew softer as the situation lightened.

"My God. This is so much like a damn soap opera! You're in a coma for five months and then when you wake up, we confess our love to each other! How did we get so cliché?!"Axel had gotten up and started yelling in disgust. If anybody hated soap operas, it was Axel. Roxas laughed at his idiocy.

"Stop yelling. And I didn't confess my love. I confessed my sexual attraction for you. Totally different."

Axel fell back on the couch. "Sexual, you say?" This would be intriguing...

"Yes. It means that I want to lick your neck. Not that I will." So very monotone.

"Oh, way to kill a moment." He snaked a well-muscled arm behind Roxas' back and grasped his waist, effectively pulling the blond into his lap. "But just because you won't doesn't mean I won't." His breath ghosted over the slim neck, making the flesh prickle with goose pimples.

Roxas visibly stiffened in surprise and began to protest. "Axel, no. I'm not ready for that yet. Please, just st—hn!" Axel, being all devious and such, hadn't listened to a word that Roxas said. He went on his merry way and begin to nibble at the warm cartilage of Roxas' ear.

Well, guess who just completely lost his composure and melted in a redhead's lap? That's right, Roxas. Time seemed to blur as Axel's lips caressed his neck. The elder didn't force the blond to do anything. Not that he did do anything. Eventually, Axel brought his head up and turned Roxas' body to face him. Only to stare, though.

He had never gotten a good chance to stare at Roxas. To really stare, not just look. His eyes flitted from feature to feature, noticing little quirks like the lines on his lips or how long his eyelashes were or the small scar on the end of his nose. Roxas took this opportunity to stare back, noting the short red eyebrows, the slight unevenness of the triangle tattoos, and the almond shape of his eyes. _Wait, is that a little bit of eyeliner?_ Roxas really hoped it wasn't...

Axel cupped Roxas' face with both hands and brought his face closer to kiss him. Roxas closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, mimicking the movements of Axel's lips. The latter's lips moved faster, while the former went at his own leisurely pace. Roxas pulled away first, shoulders lightly rising and falling with his breathing and cheeks tinted pink.

"Axel," Roxas' voice was soft, but one would think that it sort of came with the moment. Axel hoped that Roxas would say something romantic or ask him to whisk him to their bedroom (As were many fangirls at this point. Random squees of joy could be heard throughout the city that night. Nobody ever figured out why.). "Are you wearing eyeliner?"

"Shit." Axel's head fell back and collided with the wall behind the couch. "Ow." Roxas shifted off of Axel's lap to sit on the couch beside him, his legs draped over the other's thighs. "Yeah, I think Demyx might have done that while I was asleep the other day." In Demyx's defense, he thought that it brought out the acidic color in Axel's eyes.

"Wash it off. You don't look good in drag. Actually, I don't think you'd look good in drag. But don't prove me wrong. Go wash. Now." Roxas pointed in the general direction of a bathroom.

"Fine. I don't like drag either. Girl clothes are weird, anyway." Axel lifted Roxas' legs, only to place them gently on the couch after he had gotten up. The blonde stared at the redhead's ass as he walked away. Oh yeah, he wouldn't be regretting this any time soon.

* * *

"Axel, I'm not really enjoying myself."

"Aw, Roxas, come on. It'll get better, I swear! Please, just wait it out, okay?"

"No."

"Too bad. It's high time we did this together."

"Fine. It's not like I really care."

"Well, you'll enjoy yourself soon enough. Can you get the oil?"

"Yeah, whatever." Roxas retrieved the oil, looking at the label. He waggled the bottle in Axel's direction.

"No, not that stuff, that's too cheap. It won't taste good. The glass bottle."

"Okay." Roxas replaced the inexpensive bottle of oil, in a plastic bottle, and grabbed the glass bottle as Axel instructed. The blond noticed a strange contraption on the shelf. He hadn't seen it before because it was hidden by the oil. It looked like it belonged on the Starship Enterprise. Roxas made a mental note to fear Axel when that... machine was used.

"Thanks." Axel took the oil and unscrewed the cap. Then sniffed it. Roxas looked slightly horrified. "Roxas," the redhead countered to the expression that said everything. "I just have to make sure that it hasn't gone bad. Nothing is worse than evil oil! Besides, this stuff wasn't cheap. I wanna make sure I got my money's worth."

"Okay then."

Roxas watched Axel work in silence. "Make yourself useful and grab the bacon before it burns."

If an observer had to make an assumption about their activities from their conversation only, they would guess that the couple was having sex. Or about to have sex. But if one was to watch them, they were making salad. With all the fix ins. The fangirls that were screaming in anticipation a few months back were now quite disappointed.

"Shit!" Roxas lunged at the stove, pulling the pan from the burner. "Eh, it's a little charred. But we can not use the little burnt pieces." Axel didn't like to use store bought bacon bits, so he fried his own whenever he made salad. "Can you tell me what the oil is for? And the... mushed raspberry goo that you have created in that bowl?"

"I'm making my own salad dressing. If I fry the bacon fresh, do you think I'd use some unnatural gunk from a bottle? Seriously, I can't pronounce half of the crap on the ingredients list of those things."

"Whatever. It better taste good, that's all I know."

Later, when all the "cooking" (Axel considered this cooking. Roxas thought of it as preparing food for a rabbit. A very red rabbit.) was finished, they chatted and munched away. Roxas was very pleased with the flavor, and Axel was pleased that he might be able to seduce Roxas in his food-induced stupor.

Soon after that, while Axel washed the dishes, Roxas munched on spare bacon tidbits.

"So, what now?"

"Well," Axel replied, rinsing dish soap from his hands and forearms, "We could watch a movie. Or just talk. Or," he dried his hands and turned to face Roxas with a coy smile. "I could really toss your salad."

"That's it, I'm locking myself in my room." Roxas could feel his left eye start to twitch.

But before Roxas could move too close to his room, Axel had tackled him and sent both bodies crashing to the floor. Which was, luckily, carpeted.

"Ow," they both chided in unison. This was the stuff that crappy Eighties sitcoms were made of, save the homosexuality.

"Tell me this, Roxas: Do you not want me? Or are you waiting for something? Like the Apocalypse, for example." Axel sounded hurt, like he had actually taken Roxas' words as earnest rejection.

"That's not it, Axel. Not at all. I... I just want it to be special. Not the result of some crappy pick-up line. I really want to wait until I know I'm ready."

They stayed there, uncomfortable as it was, just reveling in the words. Axel could tell that Roxas wanted to wait until he was in love too. That was a different kind of rejection. "Can I have an estimation on how long we have to wait?"

"Soon. I promise."

"How about now? That counts as soon."

"Wait a day. Then we'll see."

"I love you, Roxas."

"I know. It'll be soon, I swear."

Damn. Foiled.

* * *

A few weeks later, Axel had forgotten their little confrontation on the floor. Mostly because it didn't concern him while he was sleeping.

"Axel. Wake up." Roxas sat on the edge of Axel's bed. Really, this was getting silly. It was nearly noon. "Get up, you soulless, ginger idiot."

"M'not a ginger, dammit." Axel muttered. He wanted to keep sleeping.

"Axel, I wanna talk to you."

"M' I s'posta care?" _Jesus, if you ever do anything for me, let me sleep. Please. I'll even send you some muffins. Just let me sleep!_

"That's it." Roxas crawled on the bed to straddle Axel, beginning to pull at Axel's shirt. A wife beater. How classy. "If you don't open your eyes, I'll never tell you. Evar. At all!"

Axel opened one eye, eyeing the blond on top of him. "Did you just say 'evar'?"

"I said eyes," Roxas replied, ignoring the question. "Now open them both. I want you fully awake."

Axel opened the other eye, discovering a small crusty blob in the corner of one. He rubbed it away as he sat up, supporting his weight on one hand.

"Whaddya wanna tell me?" He noticed that he wasn't the most verbose person when he was tired.

"Axel, I..." He was excited and nervous and afraid all at the same time. The adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream felt... funny. Like a strange rush that made his muscles quiver. "I realized something this morning."

"Oh?" Axel hoped, but fate had a tendency to be a total bitch to him. Luck also had a giant grudge on Axel. Only gravity liked him that much.

"Y-yes." Roxas got off his hands and knees to sit with his legs crossed. He raised a hand, noticing how it shook. He really was nervous, wasn't he?

"Well, what did you realize? Something good, I hope."

"I... Oh God, I can't say it!"

"Aw, c'mon. Try. You could write it down."

"No, I can't write. I'm too shaky."

_THEN JUST SPIT IT OUT, BLONDIE! _"Please, just try? For me?"

"I... I... ifinallyrealizedthatIloveyouandIthoughtthatineededtotellyounomatterhowmuchyouwantedtosleep!"

"Wait, what? That sounded like crappy German techno played backwards."

"I... I said that I finally realized that I love you and I thought that I should tell you no matter how much you wanted to sleep. But you can just lie back down again. I'm... I'll go to the library downtown."

"No you won't." Axel grabbed Roxas' waist, dragging him down to lie adjacent to his own body. "I can see the dark circles under your eyes. This kept you up, didn't it? When did it hit?"

"Three or four in the morning. I was getting some water and I thought of how happy I was with how things are between you and me. It's... fantastic that you love me enough not to pressure me to have sex or love you back. And that you can rope me into doing things like making a salad for dinner when I don't want to, but I end up having fun anyway. You're this terribly perfect person, and I just... I love that about you. I love you, Axel."

"I love you too, Roxas. But I can't understand how being perfect for you is terrible. Enlighten me?" Axel was beaming with happiness. All of his efforts at pitching woo (he hated the term too, but it was the only one that fit) were not made in vain.

"It kind of seems unreal how great of a person you can be. Selfless and smart and kind and—" He would have continued, but Axel silenced his lips with a finger.

"Stop it. I am not that good. Don't even try to tell me otherwise, 'cause I'll tell you that you're wrong."

"Ugh, fine."

Roxas brought himself closer to the warm body, burrowing his face in a mass of blankets and Axel chest.

"Are you going to be able to breathe?" the chest rumbled.

"I don't think so." Axel's arms hoisted Roxas further up on the bed, bring their eyes to the same level.

"Let's just fall asleep together, 'kay? No strings attached." Axel smelled like peppermint and Irish Spring.

"Promise?"

"I promise." Axel leaned in and pecked Roxas on the lips, then pulled back and dragged Roxas' torso closer.

"Axel?"

"Yes, my lover?"

"I don't want this to end. Ever."

"Well, at least you're not saying 'evar.'"

"Shut up."

* * *

_There's a coldness in the air_

_Yeah, but I don't care._

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that Square Enix does. I really wish I do. But then again, there'd be a surplus of yaoi in it. And I'd make Mamoru Miyano voice Riku in the English version of all the games. Screw David Gallagher. I also don't own Motorcycle's awesome song.

Well, there it is.

I finished it.

Hurrah for me.

Sadly, I kept putting it off and forgetting and having writers block days. And then I got into horrible sleeping patterns. But that doesn't matter.

Sorry about how the salad scene is the implied lemon. I had my mind in the vegetarian gutter at the time, so that's all I could come up with.

Anyway, review if you like, and tell me if you found any errors or things that were confusing.

And for those who are wondering if I'm participating in AkuRoku day, I am! If you're curious, I'll tell you what I plan to write.

**Author's Notes as of 9:34P on August 7th, 2008: **'HO SHIT! I HAVE REACHED 500 VIEWS!! Commence the celebratory dance!

**Author's Notes as of 6:30P on August 15th, 2008: **I just realized that I never explained what the "contraption" was during the sexy salad scene was. It's a mandoline. Just use Google Images if you don't know what that looks like. Ignore the ones that look like mini guitars/lutes.


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